She turned her gaze to the Imperial White, Simon Caneburg, who was muttering next to her.

“It’s not that monster waves should break out?”

“In the north, monsters occasionally attack villages even without monster waves. It’s the same if you go further to the west.”

“I see.”

“Yes. Well, before the monster waves, you may have to hunt people instead of monsters.”

Ru narrowed her eyes slightly at Simon, who made such a blatant remark as if it were nothing. She thought he would avoid making explicit comments in front of her.

“Until when do you plan to remain as an appropriate outsider, Your Excellency?”

Moreover, unlike when he was a Calletta ambassador, his tone was somewhat higher.

“No, I have no such intention, but I…”

“You are already one of His Majesty’s closest aides. You should know to be prepared for what is to come. People in the east will feel a significant threat just from the news that His Majesty visited this shipyard for the first time.”
“Why? Ru looked at the enormous dragon skeleton where a clattering sound echoed. How big is that ship? It was impossible to tell if it was a merchant ship or a warship. All the ships being constructed here were said to become the Emperor’s ships.

“Your Majesty thinks of seizing the sea.”

“The sea is an important source of income for the nobles. Dozens of merchant ships come and go from the port every day. The naval power has been properly equipped to deal with pirates.”

However, the Emperor intervenes in the ‘nobles’ sea.’ The nobles will naturally feel threatened.

Moreover, since the era without the Emperor was too long, the nobles were raising their own army. However, even with that army, they couldn’t handle monsters. How uncomfortable would it be for Imperialle and the Emperor to appear and subjugate monsters?

“Your Majesty wants to solve the army led by the nobles.”

“That’s right. The army is the Emperor’s authority; it shouldn’t be possessed by anyone else.”

Ru nodded in agreement with those words. Even if the nobles lead the army, what more can they do than challenge the Emperor with a sword? The situation became like this purely because of Carlos’s fault. In the end, Hayden had to spill blood even though it wasn’t his fault.

“Indeed, Your Excellency seems to have the same thoughts.”

“Of course.”

The more traces of Carlos were found in Perseta, the more anger grew. Ru looked at the distant sea. The person who was thought to be the most dignified and noble in the world turned out to be so despicable. After being hit in the back of the head, shock and betrayal passed in turn, leaving only anger.

The vast sea was silently creating waves under the clear sky today. There was nothing visible on the endless horizon. Wait, is there a ship? Ru squinted her eyes. Unlike the rippling sea, it seemed like the water was rising a bit higher.

“Commander, Simon.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Evacuate the people.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The manager, looking bewildered as if wondering what that meant, looked at Hayden, but Hayden was already staring at the horizon Ru was looking at. Simon didn’t panic either and led the manager away.

“Now, evacuate the people. I’ll need the manager’s help.”

Ru thought for a moment and decided to follow Simon. She didn’t know what was going on, but she couldn’t help. So, it was better to evacuate with the people.

“Countess, this way.”

But before Ru could turn in Simon’s direction, Hayden sharply pulled out his sword. At that moment, in the middle of the distant horizon, seawater soared vertically from a single point. A whip-like thing extended through it and lashed the surface again.

“Step back!”

“Do not be surprised and move away from the sea!”

“Imperialle, prepare for an all-out attack!”
Ru quickly walked towards Hayden without hesitation, looking around to see if there was a sword she could borrow. She was still a few steps away from Hayden, who was standing at the edge of the shipyard. He swung the sword forcefully.

“Kiaaah!”

With a horrifying sound, the sea turned upside down. No, it wasn’t the sea flipping; it was monsters covering the sea in pitch black, rising onto the land and flipping the ships, screaming and dying.

Soon, the blue sea turned dark and deep red. However, instead of relief, people started to panic, seeing the monstrous scale of more monsters rushing in.

The monsters tore through and crushed the corpses of their kin, swimming madly towards the land. Above them, legs of a gigantic cephalopod with large fins emerged, enough to cover the sea.

“Ah!”

“De, Delgawda…”

Between the torn screams, a forbidden name for the sea people echoed. Ru widened her eyes. It was clear that the sea monsters crawling up the beach, with those legs, were aiming for something.

“Your Majesty!”

They aimed for only one thing. Delgaw’s legs flew towards Hayden, who had drawn his sword. A huge tidal wave rose towards the shipyard. Ru reflexively ran towards him. Hayden had told her to come.

“Kyaaah!”

An indescribable monster’s scream echoed across the sea. The clear water vibrated, resonating with fierce anger and malevolence.

Hayden, who grinned cruelly, swung the sword again. Delgaw’s legs, aimed at him, were not intact but shattered into several pieces, scattered around.

“Aaah! Save me!”

A carpenter working in the shipyard screamed, torn apart while being held by the sea monster that emerged onto the land. Sharp, sharp little teeth chewed on people.

The monsters’ tidal wave was getting bigger. It was a disaster. People living in the coastal areas were desperate in the face of an uncontrollable natural disaster, but Ru saw it differently.

A faint light appeared in her hands, making a pitiful sound before disappearing. How could she perform magic on that? But now, Ru couldn’t cast such magic.

There were fifteen ways Ru could think of to help Hayden, but she could only do two things. One was to go to Hayden by avoiding Delgaw thrashing around, and the other was to immediately move away from Hayden.

Feeling disappointed that she could only do that, Ru felt self-loathing.

“Attack immediately!”

The number of Imperialle accompanying for the Emperor’s mission was not many.

Nevertheless, like the knights led by the Emperor, they began to fight with drawn swords and spears. The sandy beach was difficult to walk on, and the wet sea monsters made the beach a slippery terrain. However, Imperialle did not retreat.
However, a massive tidal wave instantly engulfed the shipyard. Waves, resembling five walls rising high, simultaneously covered Hayden. Within them, countless legs of Delgaw squirmed, seemingly endless.

“No, it can’t be!”

A scream erupted from Ru’s lips.

“Your Majesty!”

The palace white yelled. The screams of people were drowned out by the sound of well-crafted ships breaking and shattering.

The enormous wave that fell before Ru’s eyes swept everything away—people, shattered ships, even metal plates. Nothing was left in the wake of the water’s sweep. The sea that swallowed Hayden at an unusually fast pace swiftly retreated, disgorging monsters indiscriminately.

Ru let out a faint cry. No, this can’t be. If they aimed for something, it must have been her, but why Hayden?

“No, it can’t be…”

“Young Lady, are you alright!”

Simon rushed over to Ru, who was trembling with her hands.

“No!”

Ru, as if going mad, tried to rush back into the sea again, but Simon intervened and pulled her away.

“No, it can’t be!”

Ru, dazed, tried to run towards the sea again, but Simon restrained her.

“Young Lady! Genus Young Lady!”

Imperial soldiers quickly cleared the monsters.

“Hayden fears water, no, it can’t be…”

Simon noticed that Ru’s usually sharp eyes were now clouded.

Is she using magic? She seemed to be observing the present while simultaneously seeing something else, perhaps the past.

“Hayden fears water, no, it can’t be…”